Vibratory coil



J y 30, 1935. B. M. LEECE 2,009,892

VIBRATORY COIL Filed May 9, 1935 Patented July 30, 1935 PATENT OFFICEVIBRATORY COIL Bennett M. Leece, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to TheLeece-Ncville Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application May 9, 1933, Serial No. 670,085 4Claims. (Cl. 200-90) This invention relates to a vibrating coil forvoltage regulators and the like, and has for one of its objects toprovide a coil which is inexpensive to produce and wherein the parts arecompactly arranged and readily assembled into a vibrating coil which iseffective as well as economical in construction, particularly forquantity production. e

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction havingprovision for automatic compensation for changesin the resistance of thewinding or windings of the coil due to heating thereof without thenecessity of a special thermally responsive resistance element. Inbrief, it is one of the objects 'to provide ,a vibrating coil whereinthe desired voltage output of the generator with which the coil is-usedismaintained substantially constant without requiringthe use ofexpensive metals or materials; such as-a mate rial having a negativetemperature coefficient, to prevent a change in the ampere "turns of thewinding or windings of the coil due tochange in temperature. 3

A still further object is to provide an improved and simplifiedform ofvibrating armature, preferably in the form of an inexpensive stampingwhich lends itself readily to quick assembly in the built-up structureof the coil withoutrequiring a pivot; and, further, to formthisivibrating armature in a manner such that it has a high-:rate ofvibration when the coil is in use.

In the accompanying sheet of drawing, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectionalView through a vibrating coil embodying the invention in its preferredform; Fig. 2 is a top plan View; Fig.3 is a sectionsubstantially alongthe line 3--3 of Fig. 1,

(Figs. 1, 2 and 3 showing the coil on an enlarged scale for the sake ofclearness); and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustratingconventionally one system with which the coil maybe used to advantage. 7V b My. improved vibrating coil is not confined to any particular systemor to any particular number of windings which are housed in the metalshell of thev device. It may contain a single winding','.two' windings,or even more.

In Fig. AI have shown a vibrating coil having two windings with circuitconnections similar to those disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,633,671.With the system illustrated in Fig. 4, which finds its greatest use onautomobiles tosupply current to the load at a substantially constantvoltage regardless of speed changes. Ill represents the armature of thegenerator, the brushes of which are connected to the load circuitwherein the load consists of a battery H and lamps 22. The generator hasa field winding 53 one terminal of which is connected to one of thebrushes of the generator and the other to the stationary contact M ofthe vibrator. The movable contact 55 is carried 5 by a vibratingarmature it which is usually pivotally supported on a frame or housingl! but which, according to the present invention, has a novel form andmounting to be described, the housing having a core [8 surrounded by oneor more windings is, in this instance two windings designated 55c andtill: in Fig. 4, which windings are sometimes termed the primary and thesecondary. The stationary contact i is connected to one terminal of thewinding llb while its other terminal is connected to one terminal of thewinding l9a whose other terminal is grounded on the frame or housing ll.At the point where the two windings are connected, connection is made bymeans of a conductor 22 to one brush of the generator, the other brushbeing connected by a conductor 2! to the frame or housing ll. Betweenthis conductor 2! and the conductor 22 which connects the field winding3 to the stationary contact is is a resistance 23 which is cut into thefield circuit when the contacts are sepaby the magnetic pull and whichis shortcircuited when the contacts are in engagement, the armaturebeing moved a way from the core so as to cause the movable contact 15 toengage the contact i i by a spring 24. It is to be understood that whileI have shown'in some detail one crating and voltage regulating system,my vibr ing coil is not necessarily confined to a system such asfllustrated, particularly as to the number of windings on the core 33.

I It might be here stated that the present invention resides in theassembly of the different parts composing the vibrator and also in theconstruction and manner of supporting or mounting the vibrating armaturel5 and in the location or relation of the spring 24 with respect to thecore l8.

In the description of the details of constructionof these parts, thereference characters as applied to Fig. 4 and others will be utilized.

Referring first to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the housing I! includes.cylindrical shell l'la the, bottom of which is closed by a disk i whichis-fitted into the shell and rests against a shoulder l'lc near thebottom thereof. The opposite end or" the shell is threaded interiorlythere is fitted into the top an externally threaded disk lidconstituting a nut by which the parts hereinafter referred to areclamped solidly against 55 each other and down onto the bottom disk orbase l'lb. Extending upwardly from the bottom ill) of the shell fl'lcentrally thereof is the core l8, and surrounding the core are thewinding or windings E9, the same being shown convention- 'ally inasmuchas, as previously pointed out, the

number of windings may be varied from one to two or more.

however, that if two windings are employed, such as those illustrated inFig. 4 at 90, and Nb, the primary winding We will be wound around thecore and the secondary winding [9b on the primary. It will beunderstood, of course, that these will be preformed coils which, as aunit, can be slipped into the shell around the core. I may also windabout the secondary the resistance 23 of Fig.4, a wire resistance beingpreferably utilized. The two windings and the resistance, if the sameareprovided in the housing, fill the space between the core and thecylindrical wall of the shell.

Between the winding 59 and the bottom disk llb is suitable insulation25, and at the'top of the. winding there is similar insulation 26.Surrounding the upper or free end of the core and engaging theinsulation 26 is a metal disk 2'! which fits closely in the shell Ila ofthe housing I1. It might be here stated that the shell Ha, the bottomdisk Nb, and the core l8 are of course formed of magnetic material, suchas steel, whereas the upper disk 21 is preferably formed of non-magneticmaterial, such as brass. The core may be supported on the lower disk orbottom closure Nb of the housing in any suitable way, but in thisinstance the lower end is reduced and is extended through a centrallydisposed opening in the disk ill) and the lower end is peened over orupset to firmly secure it'to the i disk lib. The disk 2'8 ofnon-magnetic material also has a centrally disposed opening which fitsfairly closely over the free end of the core so that the disk serves tocentralize the core in the sleeve or shell 12.

The vibrating armature, in this instance, is novelly constructed andmounted, the same consisting preferably of a ring-like stamping 16a withan inwardly extending Vibratory arm lfib carrying on the upper sidethereof the movable contact E5 which is arranged at the axis of thehousing. The external diameter of the stamping I Sais such that it willfit closely in the shell Ma, and the annular or peripheral portion ofthe stamping is clamped between two rings 28 and 29, the latter beingengaged by the clamping nut lid. The armature stamp-ing 16a, and therings 28 and 29 are preferably formed of steel. It is to be here notedthat the following parts, insulating disk 25, winding l9, upperinsulating disk 26, disk 21, ringZS, armature stamping 16a, and ring 29,are dropped successively'into the 1 housing and all parts are tightlyclamped together by screwing down the nut l'ld.

Fastened on top of the nut I Ed by a pair of insulated screws 30 is abridging member 3! (see Figs. 1 and 2) having at the center or axis ofthe housing an upstanding flange or boss 3la. threaded on the interiorand receiving an adjustable screw 32 which at its inner or lower endcarries the stationary contact 14 which may be formed of any suitablematerial, such as tungsten. In this instance the tungsten is secured toa holder which is preferably made of brass in turn secured to the lowerend of the screw.

Both the bridging member 3! and the screw car- For convenience, the samewill be referred to as the winding l9. It may be stated,

rying the stationary contact are preferably formed of magnetic material,such as steel. The screw 32 will be adjusted to properly position thestationary contact I 4, after which it is secured in position by a locknut 33.

Carried on the top face of the free end of the arm lfib of the armturestamping is the movable or vibratory contact I5 which, like the contactOne of the important features of the inven tion resides in thearrangement of the spring 24 (which acts on the vibrating arm we of thearmature to restore the contacts into engagement immediately aftertheyhave been separated by the magnetic pull of winding IE) not only tofacilitate assembly'and to obtain a high degree of compactness, but alsofor-another purpose to be' mentioned presently. This spring .24 islocated.

in a bore 34 extending centrally of the core 18 preferably throughoutits length. This spring, which is a coil spring of considerable length,at its upper end bears against the under side of the arm of thevibratorat the axis of the coil and at its lower end bears againstan'adjustable abutment adapted to be adjusted to vary the compression ofthe spring; For this purpose, the lower part of theboreM is enlarged andis internally threaded and receives an adjustable screw 35 a portion ofwhich projects out through the bottom disk [lb of the coil, a lock nut36 being provided to lock the screw in any position to which it may beadjusted; The lower end of the spring may bear directly against theupper end of screw 35, but in or'derfto avoid the use of anunnecessarily long screw, I may provide between the lowerend of thespring and the upper end of the screw a plug 31, which may be of brass,of

suitable length to serve as the direct abutment for the spring. 7

A very important functional advantage is attained by this arrangement inthe'way of an automatic adjustment or compensation during the operationof the coil, for, when the windingheats up, due to the passage ofcurrent therethrough or from the heat of the engine, or otherwise, theresistance of the winding increases and its ampere turns correspondinglydecrease, but with the present arrangement of the core and spring, thisis automatically compensated for because the core expands lengthwiseunder the action of the heat and decreases the magnetic reluctance ofthe air gap and therefore increases the magnetic pull on the armature,while at the same time the action of the heat on the. spring causes theindividual convolutions to expand and the diameter to increase, and thisin turndecreases the effective length of the spring. Both of theseresults tend to increase the action of the winding on the armature indirect proportion to what would maintained constant and the voltage doesnot rial in the circuit of the winding, such as one having a negativetemperature coefiicient, to neutralize or compensate for the increasedresistance of the winding on heating.

The electrical connections to the parts inside of the housing may bemade through one or more of the screws 30 or otherwise, as may be foundmost convenient.

It will be seen from the above that the advantages or objects stated atthe beginning of the specification are attained in a very effectivemanner. The compactness and ease of assembly by reason of the fact thatthe parts can easily be slipped into the housing and secured in place bysimply tightening down the nut lld, are obvious from the drawing, as isalso the ease of adjustment of the contacts accomplished by adjustmentof the screws 32 and 35 at opposite ends of the housing. These featurescontribute greatly to the low cost of production of the coil, as doesalso the armature which requires no pivot, and the fact that thearrangement of the spring within the bore of the core, as hereinillustrated eliminates the necessity of a special compensatingresistance or conductor in the winding circuit as has frequently beenrequired heretofore.

While I have shown the preferred construction, I do not desire to beconfined to the precise details shown, as changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A vibrating coil comprising a cylindrical shell having an end diskadjacent the lower end and a centrally disposed core supported by andextending from the disk, a winding surrounding the core, an armaturehaving an annular peripheral portion, annular armature supportingmembers fitted within said shell and engaging opposite sides of saidperipheral portion of the armature, and a closure for the upper part ofthe shell in the form of a nut screwed into the end of the shell forclamping cooperation with said end disk to hold the parts in assembledrelationship.

2. A vibratory coil having a housing including a cylindrical shell, abottom closure therefor in the form of a disk engaging the housing nearone end and carrying a core extending centrally of the shell, a windingsurrounding the core, a nonmagnetic centralizing disk fitted into theshell and having an opening for the free end of the core, a diskarmature having an annular portion fitted inside the shell and avibratory arm portion extending into cooperating relation with said freeend of the core, and a clamping nut screwed down into the other end ofthe shell and forming a closure for said other end.

3. A vibratory coil having a housing comprising a cylindrical shell, abottom disk seated at one end thereof and having a core extendingaxially of the shell, a winding surrounding the shell, a centralizingdisk of non-magnetic material fitted into the shell and surrounding thecore adjacent its free end, a pair of annular members fitted into theshell above said centralizing disk, an armature comprising an annularpart fitted into the shell between said annular members and a vibratorypart carried by the annular part, a contact on said vibratory part, anda nut screwed into the upper part of the shell for clamping together andholding in assembled relationship the above mentioned parts which arefitted into the shell, said nut carrying an adjustable centrallydisposed contact for cooperation with the contact on said vibratorypart.

4. In a vibratory electro-magnetic device the combination of anelongated housing having internal abutment means at one end thereof, amagnet spool comprising a core and end disks and a winding around thecore and between the disks, said magnet spool being disposed in thehousing'with its core extending axially thereof and with one diskengaging said abutment means and forming an end closure for the housingand the other end disk spaced inwardly from the other end of thehousing, a closure having threaded connection with said other end of thehousing and spaced from said other end disk to provide a chambertherebetween, a disk-like armature in said chamber and having avibratory arm portion in proximity to an end of said core, a pair ofcooperating contacts in said chamber one being carried on said armportion and the other being carried on said closure, and supportingmeans in said chamber and fitted into the housing for engaging edgeportions of said armature, said closure and said abutment meanscooperating to clamp said spool and said armature supporting meanstherebetween.

BENNETT M. LEECE.

